A twelve-year-old chess Grandmaster from Bursa, Turkey, Yağiz Kaan Erdoğmuş -as written in Turkish, has made history in the chess world. On April 1st, while competing in the challenging GRENKE Chess Open, Erdoğmuş scored an impressive 7.0/9 points, showcasing a performance equivalent to 2646. With this remarkable achievement, he fulfilled his final GM norm, earning the title of the youngest grandmaster globally and the fourth youngest in chess history.
Yagiz Erdoğmuş’s passion for chess ignited at the age of six when his kindergarten teacher introduced him to the game. Recognizing his exceptional talent, he quickly rose through the ranks, clinching victories in national and international tournaments. In 2019, he secured the U8 European Championship with a flawless 8.0/8 score. By August 2021, Erdoğmuş had attained the No. 1 spot in the World U10 Rankings and was also acknowledged as the leading U11 player globally.
Even before turning twelve, he achieved the title of Turkey’s youngest International Master (IM). His crowning moment came in April 2024 at the Grenke Chess Open and Classic, where he officially joined the ranks of grandmasters as the fourth-youngest in history.
The list of youngest grandmasters is illustrious, with Erdoğmuş joining the ranks of chess prodigies like Abhimanyu Mishra, Sergey Karjakin, and Gukesh Domaraju. His fast rise in chess is a big achievement and has everyone eager for what is next in his promising career.
